July 2013 - thread 7 - and we're still talking as we enter the 3rd trimester

[Persuasion]

We've managed to fill yet another thread, so here is a new one to keep chatting away on...

And the stats list is here

Glad your baby is healthy shelley, sorry that you had that scare though.

I'm just reading a.bbc article on my way to work about bed sharing. In the article they say not to breastfeed from an armchair. Why? And what should we be doing instead? We cant afford a bespoke chair really, unless it is essential and then we'll find a way

Not to feed from an armchair? Must have a look to see why. You should never fall asleep feeding your baby on the sofa/in a chair as that can increase the risk of sids. But not to feed at all in a chair??

Daddy on school run this morning so I'm still in pjs watching Lorraine!

Maybe they think we should all be sat on the floor at all times Cheek... I fed ds1 and ds2 on the sofa (for hours!) and lying down in bed then popped them back in their cot.

Perhaps! The article is about sids and they quote unicef as saying breastfeeding on armchair or sofa is a much rriskier practice than sharing a bed with a baby. I guess it must be in case you dose off but short of hanging upside down or sitting on a strone floor I can't imagine there are many other options.

Hope you have a better day today Shelley these babies are definitely keeping us entertained!

Strange article about not breastfeeding on an armchair, i dont think anything will get me to sit on the floor everytime! Haha will just have to do my best not to fall asleep! Hope everyone is keeping well

31+3

Yes the issue is accidentally falling asleep with a baby on the sofa or armchair is much more dangerous than co-sleeping in bed. The reason they say that is often if you don't do the latter you can end up inadvertently doing the former.

I think the headlines are very alarmist, if you look at the figures the risk of SIDS to breastfed babies of non smoking, sober mothers is extremely low whether they bed share or not. It is a small increase but you have to look at it in context.

If I get a baby this time that is happy in their own cot then fabulous, but IME it is very, very normal for newborns to need more physical contact than that overnight, so we'll be using the same set up as last time (cheap Ikea cot with the side off pushed up alongside our bed).

Meant to moan about my awful night too, DS was up for an hour terrified of owls coming into his room ("and twitting and poking me and making me sad") GOK why!

Then I had raging heartburn and insomnia and couldn't get back to sleep for absolutely ages.

34 weeks today and feeling it!

Glad to hear you're home and enjoying daytime tv now Shelley, what an exhausting day you had yesterday. Does this mean you'll get more monitoring / mw appointments?

My initial reaction to the SIDS headlines this morning was annoyance at how alarmist they are. Yet more beating people around the heads with research - I'm very pleased to hear that there is a sensible take on the figures, thanks Vinegar.

Dinky your nesting sounds wonderfully productive! I'm trying to do the same, but something keeps pulling me back to the sofa night after night...

I've finally booked off the last of my annual leave, and have my last day all pencilled in - hoorah for the count down!

I had the window open too long and missed your second post - I hope you manage some more rest today Vinegar? That sounds like a nightmare of a night.

Anyone having cramps, pelvic pain, with backpain on and off and the feeling that someone occasionally kicks them in the vagina? Sharp pains like a pinched nerve. Yesterday and today it seems to come and go, if I sit down for a while it goes, long sitting down it comes back and standing its hit or miss. Its not making me curl over just uncomfortable.

awww poor you shelly that sounds like a very very rough day. I am glad they looked after you and did a big list of checks.

Glad everything checked out ok, shelley. Must have been a very stressful day. Take it easy today & look after yourself.

Re:SIDS - DD slept on her belly pretty much from the start. It was the only way she'd sleep. We reasoned that since we did everything else we were supposed to (and the advice on position keeps changing over the years anyway), sleeping on her front was better than being completely exhausted from not sleeping at all. (didn't dare confess to HV though!)

photographer - that doesn't sound fun! I had really bad belly ache yesterday afternoon, but I was pretty certain it was wind & it went eventually.

Photographer - when is your next MW appointment? Not a dr but could be a UTI causing some of these issues so either go see GP or speak to MW to see what they recommend. Some of those issues (backpain, some pelvic pain) are just part and parcel of late pregnancy but cramps and sharp pains in the vag are something worth checking out.

Shelley - hope you get some rest today to make up for your sleepless night. A baby on the 5th percentile is still a perfect baby - babies, like the rest of us, come in all shapes and sizes so this one is clearly genetically set up to be compact but perfectly formed. I'm sorry your MW missed the breech presentation and also measured you wrong - really doesnt instil you with confidence does it? - but at least the scan confirmed all is ok.

Vinegar - poor you, you must be shattered - and bet DS is feeling rather grumpy today too after a disturbed night. Its extraordinary the stuff they get scared about it isnt it!

Hurrah for countdown to mat leave MrsRoss - hope it goes quickly for you.

Had 34 week MW appointment today - was running over 40 minutes late but fortunately not too busy at work today (phew). Bean now head down again (with strict instructions to stay that way), GTT results came back fine and my referral to the birth centre has gone in. Just got to keep this baby in there till 37 weeks to ensure I can actually birth there (and finish work before it arrives too).

Glad all is ok shelly and thank goodness for morning tv. Hoe tonight is better for you vinegar sleep deprivation is just torture.
DH and I finally had a sensible discussion about names last night, and we now have a short short list (2 names) and a possible third for a boy, and a few possibles for girls, so although no firm decisions its a big step forward!
Midwife today, no glucose, no protein and BP behaving, so all good and heading towards 34 weeks, whoop whoop.
33+2

Re SIDS story, I think these findings would be more useful I they differentiated between planned and unplanned co-sleeping. Falling asleep while feeding baby in bed is dangerous, no doubt but the risk is much smaller if you deliberately fall asleep, following UNICEF safe co-sleeping guidelines. Just to illustrate, my first night home with ds3 I was sitting feeding him in bed. I hadn't slept for over 36 hours at this point due to labouring during the previous night. I fell asleep and ds3 could have easily been smothered had I not suddenly woken up. That scared the shit out of me, I can tell you. When it became clear he wasn't going to be a settled baby I decided to co-sleep, following all re guidelines. Dh slept in spare room too. I honestly believe this was, for me, safer than the alternative (also bearing in mind I had other children to look after and no chance for daytime naps)
So if this baby is the same I plan to co-sleep again. But probably won't tell my mw or hv that!

vinegar how annoying, hope you are not too tired today

Shelley glad things are ok but it's never easy being in that situation

not princess we had a names chat the other night too and finally have a shortlist, thank goodness

Well I'm counting the days left at work now, feel like I'm getting hammered with the rota this month, with extra things on every day this month! Finish on 31st though so end is in sight

34+0

Just catching up - haven't posted for yonks but all boring good here. Still v troubled with tiredness, work is a struggle (let's be honest, walking upstairs is a struggle), but I'm feeling a bit better on the iron tablets. I've come to an arrangement with work so my last day is now June 14th (36+1) instead of a week later, and I actually only have 15 days left. Yikes!

I'm feeling ginormous (although measuring bang on), and bemoaning the fact that my linea nigra isn't straight (I like things neat and orderly!)...

In the meantime I have been amassing stuff for the baby/hospital bag - I now have some clothes, nappies, maternity pads, breast pads and cheap knickers .

Also - please help! Do I need a baby bath? And do you just use water or do I need baby soap stuff?

Sympathies to all those with aches, pains and woes. Phie I saw your other thread and hope you are feeling better. Shelley hope you are having a more restful time, and yay to Dinky for a head down baby and a normal GTT! Vinegar enjoy your new bike - I got on mine last week and think it might have been the last time... leaning over + knobbly baby bits in the ribs + bumpy potholes everywhere made the whole thing less than fun!

32+5 and feels like I'm hurtling toward the final furlong!

Slouching - we had a baby bath, but it wasn't really necessary. PIL bought it for us and in the end I thought it was more trouble than it was worth. We just used water for bathing at first, then added baby bath stuff later on when DD was a bit older.

We had a baby bath but DS would only tolerate baths with one of us for the first few months (in fact it was pretty much the only thing guaranteed to stop him screaming!). We used the normal bath after tthat. I don't think baby bath bubbles etc are advised until a few weeks/months old at least - and you will probably get some as presents anyway.

Thanks! I was quite convinced I didn't, but had the face from my mum when I told her I was planning on using the normal bath and just water.

Glad end is in sight for both of you Thinking and Slouching! I agree with the others - you dont NEED a baby bath (though I love my tummy tub - think baby in a bucket!) as you can have baths with the baby in the big bath anyway.

Slouching - we borrowed a baby bath from friends last time. They're useful for such a short time, if at all, but lots of people have them stored away in case they have another baby so worth asking?

We did use it but probably won't bother this time - will just bath baby with DS2. We also washed DS1 in the sink when he was little! Just water at first, then you can get very gentle baby wash for later. Beware, lots of babies get dry skin if you bath them too much. DS1 didn't, but lots of our friends had to cut down frequency of baths because it was bad for their skin.

*will bath baby with DS1, obviously. Baby IS DS2!

Losing touch with reality here - bring on maternity leave

Shelley hope you've had a restful day. Sorry to disappoint but no more random purchases from the MIL, as far as I know...but we will be spending a week (!?!) with her from next Friday so who knows what will materialise then!!

First day back at work after a 4 day weekend and I'm exhausted, also found I was walking extra slow. So glad mat leave is in sight!

Sorry I can't name check more but on phone and my memory of what I've just read is terrible!

32+5

This will make you laugh - ds1s school sports day has been scheduled for Beans due date. There is a parents race. Ds1 is adamant all mummies have to enter it - so imagine me walking my way along the 100 m track holding my belly and boobs on 4th July everyone :-)

Dinky that has indeed made me laugh, what a thought!